box tuning- how do they do it

[xploder 10+ year member]

How does manufacturers figure out what is the best tuning frequency of their subwoofers? I looked at the specs of various companies and they all tune their boxes to different frequencies. Even the same speakers from a same company changes the tuning frequency from their 8 ohm model versus the 4 ohm model. Does it have to do with the resonant frequency? What is the general rule for the best sounding frequency to tune your box to and what is the frequency for the loudest.

Click to read more...

 

[LoneRanger 10+ year member]

How does manufacturers figure out what is the best tuning frequency of their subwoofers? I looked at the specs of various companies and they all tune their boxes to different frequencies. Even the same speakers from a same company changes the tuning frequency from their 8 ohm model versus the 4 ohm model. Does it have to do with the resonant frequency? What is the general rule for the best sounding frequency to tune your box to and what is the frequency for the loudest.

Of course the tuning is different....the subs are different. If there were one magic note to tune your box to that would make every sub sound awesome, everybody would use that note. Yes it does have to do with resonant frequency or fs, but not completely. There are lots of factors that come into play when deciding where to tune a box.

The manufacturer's box specs aren't always the best either. I've designed a few boxes that outperform ED and RE's suggested enclosures.

The general rule is to play with it and see what works best/sounds best for you.

SQ/Daily listening enclosures usually fall between 28 and 48 hz

Competition enclosures usually fall between 44 and 80 hz, however there are guys that use super-low tuned boxes for SPL too.